Dozens of peace activists from around the world will gather in Chiba from May 4 to 6 for an international conference on the Constitution's Article 9, which renounces war, the organizer said Friday in Tokyo.
Participants in the Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War will include Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, a winner of the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize from Northern Ireland; Cora Weiss, president of the Hague Appeal for Peace from the United States; Beate Sirota Gordon, coauthor of the Constitution; and Ann Wright, a retired U.S. Army colonel and diplomat who resigned her post in 2003 in part to protest the war in Iraq.
"We wonder why (Japan) spends a large amount of money on arms," said Tatsuya Yoshioka, director of Peace Boat and one of the representatives of the event's organizing committee.
He said he hopes the conference provides an opportunity for people to consider whether financial and other resources poured into arms would be better spent providing clean water, removing land mines and fighting global warming.
Participants will discuss Japan's role in the war in Iraq, how to realize the spirit of Article 9 in Asia and the negative impact on the environment of military activities, among other topics.
Workshops and live music and other performances are also planned during the three-day event at the Makuhari Messe convention complex in Chiba.